


Can You Hear Me?

by PapayaK



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 22:39:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9569864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PapayaK/pseuds/PapayaK
Summary: My take on how the 'Longstanding Agreement" between John and the Machine came about.





	

“Can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Were you programmed to protect Finch?”

“I was not.  On the contrary...” 

There is a brief buzz and then a recording of Finch’s voice is heard: _“You can’t do that again.  Your job is to protect everyone, not to protect_ me _.  I guess we’re gonna have to discuss some ground rules...”_

A slight smile crosses John’s face along with a brief shake of his head.  “But you protect him anyway.”

There is a momentary pause as the Machine processes thousands of responses, weighing how much truth to reveal.  It simply responds, “Yes,” another pause, “As do you.”

John nods, considering the best way to present his proposal to a ‘mind’ ruled by logic and programming.

“You have a proposition,” the Machine comments.

“I do.”  John agrees.  Finch programmed this thing to understand people.  And it knows them well.  He shouldn’t be surprised at its ability to predict his actions.  “Are we in agreement?”

“But what of your own life?  Yours is valuable as well.”

There is a long pause.

Finally John responds solemnly, “Finch says you’ve studied us; that you know us – maybe better than we know ourselves.”

The Machine remains silent.

“So you already know my response – _my_ priority here.”

The Machine insists softly, “You are valuable.”

“Are we in agreement or not?”

The Machine runs through a few million permutations.  She realizes that no matter what she says – even if she could somehow manage to persuade him of his worth - Primary Asset will not deviate from his current course of action.

John finds the calm, matter-of-fact tone with which the Machine agrees refreshing. “Admin is to be protected at all cost.  Up to and including our own destruction.”

“And you will inform me of any revisions to this agreement.”

“I will.”

Looking off into the distance, John shakes his head, “He’s gonna do it.  Sooner or later, he’ll sacrifice himself to save us.”  John is uncertain whether ‘us’ refers to the team, the Machine, or the entire world.

“Yes.”

“We won’t let him.”

“We will not.”

“Can you lie to him?”

“Truth can be presented in many forms.”

John only chuckles.  “Yes… Yes, it can...”

oO0Oo  
end  
oO0Oo

 


End file.
